Scouting Georgia Tech

After being picked in the preseason ACC media poll to finish fourth in the conference this season, Georgia Tech has struggled to find the consistency necessary to maintain such a position in the league standings. The Yellow Jackets (18-8, 6-6), who have lost two of their last three games and three of their last five games, currently sit in seventh place in the ACC.

Still, 10th-year coach Paul Hewitt said this week on the ACC coaches' teleconference that his team is starting to show some of the characteristics that will be critical if the Yellow Jackets hope to earn an NCAA tournament bid. Georgia Tech, which is 1-5 on the road in conference play, fell at Wake Forest by 11 last Saturday, but Hewitt liked at least some of what he saw out of his players.

"We're starting to get the type of toughness and grit from possession to possession that I want to see in our basketball team," Hewitt said. "We've shown that at times this year. We haven't shown it on the road. I would say Saturday night was the first time this year that I thought we showed some toughness and determination" on the road.

The Yellow Jackets are led by the front-court duo of junior forward Gani Lawal (6 feet 9, 234 pounds) and freshman forward Derrick Favors (6-10, 246 pounds). Lawal and Favors rank second and third, respectively, in the ACC in rebounding in conference play. The pair doesn't receive much help in the rebounding department, though, as Georgia Tech owns a rebounding margin of zero in ACC play. The Yellow Jackets have pulled down exactly as many rebounds as have their conference foes thus far this season.

Lawal is averaging 11.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while shooting 46.2 percent in conference play. Favors is averaging 10 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 61.9 percent in conference play.

Georgia Tech ranks third in the league in blocks (5.6 bpg) in ACC play. Lawal and Favors each have tallied 20 blocks since the start of the conference season.

The other back-court spot is the only starting position that remains up in the air for the Yellow Jackets. Freshman guard Mfon Udofia (6-2, 187 pounds) started Georgia Tech's first 11 ACC games before being benched in favor of freshman guard Glen Rice Jr. (6-5, 195 pounds) before Tuesday's 17-point win over North Carolina.

Udofia is averaging 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 27 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range in conference play. Of late, it has appeared as though Udofia has run up against the infamous "freshman wall."

"I'm sure that's some of it," Hewitt said. "You look around the country right around this time of year and you see freshmen that have hit that wall a little bit. And he has somewhat, but the great thing about Mfon is that he's a really hard worker, and he's a very determined young man. I think he'll fight his way through it, and he'll get back to playing, you know, great basketball again for us here before the season's over."

Rice, who tallied five points on 2 of 8 shooting and seven rebounds in his start Tuesday against the Tar Heels, is averaging 5.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in ACC play. Since the start of the conference season, Rice has shot 40.4 percent.

In conference play, Miller is averaging 4.0 points and 1.5 rebound per game, Peacock is averaging 10.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and Oliver is averaging 9.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Oliver has proven to be the Yellow Jackets' top three-point shooting threat. He is shooting 40.6 percent from beyond the arc in ACC play, which ranks third in the league.

Georgia Tech has had three reserve players score in double digits in its past two games. Oliver has tallied double digits in scoring in the past three games.

"We're a little erratic, no question, because while we had all that production off the bench, our starters struggled on Saturday night," Hewitt said during Monday's teleconference after the Georgia Tech bench registered 40 of the Yellow Jackets' 64 points at Wake Forest. "They really struggled. In order for it to be what I'd call a deep team, I think we've got to get production from almost everybody that plays."

As a team in ACC play, Georgia Tech is shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from three-point range and 59.9 percent from the free throw line. The Yellow Jackets have been the worst free throw shooting team in the conference during league play. They also own the ACC's worst assist-to-turnover ratio (0.8) in conference play.

Georgia Tech has, however, held conference opponents to 39.1 percent shootingwhich ranks second in the ACC.

Favors vs JW will be a really interesting matchup. Been looking forward to it since JW emerged during ACC play. Surprised how far GaTech has fallen from earlier in the year (they were ranked early, weren't they?). Looking for the Comcast crowd to be typically hostile, with our guards rebounding providing the key difference maker as MD puts this one away.

Do not have a good feeling about this game. If we had trouble with Zubrec (sp?) then we're in for a long night against Favors and Lawal.

I did have a short dream this morning though that we were down to GT and Jordan Williams got mad and he kept grabbing rebounds and "hulking up" and Comcast Center started going wild. And then I saw Debbie Yow and Gary Williams on the court making babies and I saw one of the babies and the baby looked at me.

Did Poopy slip you some of his magic shrooms before you went to sleep last night? Or does Barno1 still have your computer?

Think that JW jas learned from the experience at Duke. Freshman big versus freshman big. Not since Joe Smith-Rasheed Wallace-Tim Duncan have we seen MD in this situation with young bigs proving themselves against each other. More confident since its at home.

Added GV's last 26 points to it myself, so may be off on his totals. Looks like he'll surpass Lucas and Branch in the next two games, if not against GaTech. I agree its an unfair comparison to a degree for Lucas and King as Lefty barely played freshmen and King left early. But Adrian Branch was a four year primary scorer and we all know the Bias and Dixon stories. remember when we got GV and EH? Weren't we starved for a PG - we had not had a pure PG since Gilchrist I believe (and correct me if I am wrong) and had started combo guards in the position for a couple of years. I remember wishing that Andre Collins had not transferred. I thought EH, who reminded me of Steve Blake as a freshman, would be the mainstay at PG and GV would be the SG.

The only thing GV lacks on his resume at this point is a deep NCAA run. Hoping like hell he can deliver. Great for the program, great for him that he stayed. And a few years ago you'll have to throw my old posts back in my face when I reminisce that I miss the shimmy. Think GV and JW take control against GaTech and home cooking brings EH, SM and CT back around. To be fair to the rest of the guards, their D has been great and at least one of them comes up with critical scoring (AB most recently). Like to see

all cylinders firing as we head into the stretch run. Two more wins and no more bubble drama (I do repeat that alot, its geting on my nerves) and thinking that I may not need to repeat it after sometime next week.

Added GV's last 26 points to it myself, so may be off on his totals. Looks like he'll surpass Lucas and Branch in the next two games, if not against GaTech. I agree its an unfair comparison to a degree for Lucas and King as Lefty barely played freshmen and King left early. But Adrian Branch was a four year primary scorer and we all know the Bias and Dixon stories. remember when we got GV and EH? Weren't we starved for a PG - we had not had a pure PG since Gilchrist I believe (and correct me if I am wrong) and had started combo guards in the position for a couple of years. I remember wishing that Andre Collins had not transferred. I thought EH, who reminded me of Steve Blake as a freshman, would be the mainstay at PG and GV would be the SG.

Posted by: HughGRection | February 19, 2010 9:59 AM | Report abuse

Lucas started from day 1 but he had a great team around him, so he didn't have to be the number 1 option and King didn't do much sitting either. Bias, though, didn't see the floor as much as a freshman. One big difference is the 3 point shot, though, that Lefty's gunners did not have.

Another definite era difference is games played. Many of the pre-80s folks had less of a chance of making the tourney (only a 32-team field), and schools schedule more games now in total than back then. So Greivis has a definite advantage based on that as well.

Yes, the list of scoring leaders is an apples-to-plums comparison. The 3-point shot and the shot clock weren’t introduced until 1983 or so. Without the shot clock, you would have teams (North Carolina was the most egregious) in a 4-corner offense once they got a lead, just passing the ball back and forth. So scoring opportunities were low. Dunking was also banned from the late-60s to the mid-70s.

A rumor is circulating NY that the Knicks have made a major deal with the Nets to help land LeBron. They are giving Tracy McGrady to the Nets in exchange for the Nets first round draft choice in the upcoming draft, which is likely to be the overall #1 pick. While the Knicks are forfeiting millions in cap space, their strategy is to go after Greivis Vasquez, which they say will assure them of being able to land LeBron.

It kind of shows you how much talent Lefty brought in back in the day. And think of the guys who aren't on the list. I could not imagine what Gary might do if he had some of that talent, not that he'd want some of the baggage.

Gotta say, Angelos is pure evil. I conciously stopped rooting for the O's after he fired Davey Johnson and sent that stupid letter to the Wapo and Sun with his pathetic reasoning. Since the company I worked for had tix at the time, we would drive up to Baltimore to give them to the scariest homeless person we could find and send over to enjoy the game. Then my kids started getting into baseball, and I made a conscious decision to start rooting for the Os again. No enmity towards the Nats, just like I hold no enmity towards the Ravens. I hold enmity towards UVA. My buddies from HS and MD all have started going to Os games again, and the stadium experience is still great (unlike Fedex, or oh god, the nats stadium). I think with time the number of MD/Skins/Os fans will decrease. And if the Nats ever start winning, the decrease will happen faster. The Os are making some of the right moves and the front office is staffed by Os lifers (not that the WaPo covers them anymore). They won't compete with the yankees and Sox in terms of payroll and are too heavily dependent on fans of those two teams to pack the stands. Angelos screwed the Lerners and does not have to win to make money for the near future, no doubt. But the franchise will need to be competitive to keep fans in the stands.
The only way to compete with the Yanks and Bosox is to develop young talent and have a lot of luck. I think the framework has finally been put back into place to develop the talent.

That said, Angelos has never sued fans nor banned signs. Which puts him ahead of $nyder in my book. I think Nats fans will be plenty happy when the reperation payments from Lerner to Angelos end.

Yeah, the Colts leaving town happened when I was at MD (as did the Skins losing the SuperBowl). Man, that was one sad day. The whole baltimore crowd was ready to lynch the Irsays.

Oops, this is the TI, not the general DC-baltimore sports board. nevermind.

hugh i enjoyed your discuorse on O's and Nats. I find myself in the grey area rooting for both. I gave up on the O's for a while, especially when DC was trying to get a team and Angelos was intentionally tanking.

"Gotta say, Angelos is pure evil. I conciously stopped rooting for the O's after he fired Davey Johnson and sent that stupid letter to the Wapo and Sun with his pathetic reasoning."
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A rumor is circulating NY that the Knicks have made a major deal with the Nets to help land LeBron. They are giving Tracy McGrady to the Nets in exchange for the Nets first round draft choice in the upcoming draft, which is likely to be the overall #1 pick. While the Knicks are forfeiting millions in cap space, their strategy is to go after Greivis Vasquez, which they say will assure them of being able to land LeBron.

Posted by: petecard | February 19, 2010 10:49 AM | Report abuse

pete i dont get your joke. seemed dumb.

Posted by: jpfterps | February 19, 2010 12:53 PM | Report abuse

Reason you don't get it is because it was as dumb as it gets. It was just another incredibly lame attempt by Petecard to mock the talents of Greivis Vasquez. As if anyone is suggesting Vasquez is going to be an All Star-quality player in the NBA. I think the general consensus is that he will be drafted, somewhere between late 1st round to early 2nd round.

Not that there haven't been legit criticisms of him over the years...but at this point, while the rest of Terp Nation has almost universally come to realize what a great career he has had at MD, you continue to mock him. Coupled with your endless mocking of Vasquez's talents and your old attacks on him, and your "hoping" that he went pro last summer, it really does make one wonder...is it really just his game you are so unimpressed with Petecard? Or is there something else? Do you find it harder, or maybe even impossible, to like Vasquez because he is Latino?

For the game this weekend I have a good feeling we'll win this. Do I think we'll win by a boatload? Probably not, given the way Tech is holding opposing teams shooting percentages down. Of course the way the Terps seem to be shooting the rock this year, we may very well keep that up and win by a very large margin. I think we win by 8-15 points.

I see we've started talking baseball, my first love. You better watch out petecard, your beloved Yankee core is starting to get up there in age. My O's have a large core of young guys who could start giving your Yanks a run for their money next year, if not this year. I will say though that Angelos is a gigantic moron (of course, when it comes to him being an owner, when isn't he a moron) for not ponying up the money to get Tex last offseason. But it'll be nice seeing Matusz striking out Tex left and right for at least the next 5/6 years.

I will say this tough, when it comes to Sox/Yanks, I'll now root for the Yanks every time since Sox fans have become more annoying than Yankee fans. Gotta love all the new pink-Sox hats you see people sporting. Go back to eating chow-dah (right Freddy Quimby).

Going back to my boy Hans Moleman, it seems too that not only does he not get hurt in auto accidents but that at his age he does have a Class-A license since he's driven both a big-rig full of sugar and also hauled an old victorian-style home around town. Barno, you never told us who your favorite Simpson's character is.

Finally, per the dog discussion yesterday I remembered there was this. Don't worry working folks, it's safe for work. It's not some link to Gianna Michaels website, it's just my boy doing what he likes to do best:

Going to see the Baltimore blast this evening with my daughter - Best Buddies.
Oddly enough, though I did not grow up with soccer, the indoor soccer games are an ok time at the right price. You've criticized folks for this issue in the past (easy moral high ground in a flaming war so why not) so I thought I'd include a link that Best Buddies sent this week.

www.r-word.org

All - Back to the terps -

I absolutely get the animosity towards GV; I kind of felt it myself at times and its hard not to blame him when the TEAM plays poorly. Regardless of Apples to Plums and rule changes in the college game, if we compare GV to all of the players who played since the 1980s, in my mind only St. Juan and St. Lonny unequivocably surpass him...because they went to 2 FFs and won a NC. I do not care how great or terrible he is in the NBA since I find it hard to pay attention to an NBA game. I care about the college game. For GV to surpass the likes of Bias, Joe Smith and others, this team, which for better or worse IS his team, needs to go far in March. That said, based on the numbers, he clearly has to be in the top 20 if not top 15 of all-time great Terps today. As my buddy from Duke says - "you know he's great if he is as vilified as JJ." The Tar Heel adds, "I hate him, I really, truly hate him." Both agree he is a lock for 1st team all-ACC and if the TEAM keeps winning, player of the year (Duke buddy insists he'll place second to Scheyer).

No worshipping at the altar of GV here. But the numbers are impressive. And it gets hard to dislike a guy who has been the catalyst for the team winning and at times playing beautiful basketball.

Hugh, have fun at the soccer game. I just found out that I have 2 indoor games this Sunday. Should make for a fun afternoon. Have you ever thought about or taken your daughter to either DCU or Washington Freedom games?

Don't get though where you're coming from with the r-word though? Have I criticized those who did or didn't use it? Are you saying I pulled a Sarah Palin and slammed an Emanuel type for using it and have defended a buddy like Rush in using it?

Reminds me of a hilarious Dana Milbank column in the Post from last April. It starts out:

Dear Reader,

I wish to apologize to you for my behavior last week.

On Tuesday, I learned that I am a right-wing hack. I am not a journalist. I am typical of the right wing. I am why newspapers are going broke. I write garbage. I am angry with Barack Obama. I misquote Obama. I am bitter. I am a certified idiot. I am lame. I am a Republican flack.

On Thursday, I realized that I am a media pimp with my lips on Obama's butt. I am a bleeding-heart liberal who wants nothing more than for the right to fall on its face. I am part of the ObamaMedia. I am pimping for the left. I am carrying water for Obama. Lord, am I an idiot.

I discovered all this from the helpful feedback provided to me in the "reader comments" section at the end of my past four columns on washingtonpost.com.

"Not that there haven't been legit criticisms of him over the years...but at this point, while the rest of Terp Nation has almost universally come to realize what a great career he has had at MD, you continue to mock him. Coupled with your endless mocking of Vasquez's talents and your old attacks on him, and your "hoping" that he went pro last summer, it really does make one wonder...is it really just his game you are so unimpressed with Petecard? Or is there something else? Do you find it harder, or maybe even impossible, to like Vasquez because he is Latino?

I'm just asking."

Posted by: Barno1 | February 19, 2010 2:07 PM

and my response...

Garo,

You must have had a prior life as one of Senator McCarthy's hate brigade.

Once again you bring up the racial/ethnic/bigot question. Have you no shame?

You are so blind to criticism of your boys and you are such a hate monger. A joke about the love fest for GV turns into a witch hunt.

Get a life!

Posted by: petecard | February 19, 2010 3:11 PM

Now fushezzi weighs in...

"Pete, let me be diplomatic. Answer me a few questions.

What about GV's game do you NOT like?

If it is not his game, what about GV do you not like?

What is your take on GV's impact on the UMD basketball program during his 4 years here?

Call me Switzerland b/c I remain pretty neutral on most topics but even I observe and sense you have a grudge against GV.

Hopefully your answers can give us a peek inside your thinking."

Posted by: fushezzi | February 19, 2010 3:18 PM

AND ALL OF THAT FROM THIS COMMENTARY I MADE YESTERDAY... READ AND EXPLAIN TO ME WHY IT LEAD TO SUCH A PERSONAL ATTACK THAT PLAYED THE "R" CARD:

He has had some great games and some real stinkers. His numbers are helped by several factors, two of which are that he has been the main ball-handler for four full seasons and is relied on to score. He has some skills and should be given credit for that. Not at all sure they will translate to the NBA, but that shouldn't matter in evaluating his college career.

But he tends to play best against weaker competition, especially when he is not pressured by a guard with similar size. Two of his worst games were against Clemson and Duke, both having put significant pressure on him at the point of attack.

Our wins thus far in the conference have come mostly against the worst teams, with FSU being the exception. We have a chance for redemption against Clemson and Duke at home, but also have potentially tough games against VTech and GTech.

Let's see how Vasquez and the team do down the stretch with the ACC Championship on the line.

We can only hope for the best.

Posted by: petecard | February 19, 2010 3:11 PM

We may be hoping for the best but we are getting the very worst from Garo.

Fushezzi, I shared my views and re-posted them. They were all about his basketball. I think the stats are way over-rated. His behavioral issues have bugged me, but not dominated my opinion. He has actually gotten better with his behavior. But when I compare him to other players who are at the top of the game, such as but not limited to Scheyer of Duke, he comes up short. For that, I am attacked as a racist/bigot... not by you but certainly by Garo....
Can't we disagree without the personal attacks? That is my question for Garo...